Sheet transfer device for perfecting presses



H. A. PRITCHARD April 15, 1952 SHEET TRANSFER DEVICE FOR PERFECTINGPRESSES Filed July 15, 1945 HTTORN E Y6 Patented Apr. 15, 1952 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHEET TRANSFERrDEVICE FOR PERFECTING PRESSES" Ha aiian. Pritchard,Hiram, Ohio, assignor to Harris-Seybold Company, a corporation oiDelaware Application July 13, 1945, Serial No. 604,956

;. 4 Claims. (01. 101-442) endless conveyor provided with sheet grippingdevices. I

. Another object is the provision of a press of the character stated,the printing units of which may be disposed comparatively close to thefloor of the pressroom, and wherein a spacing of the units may beselected such that an operator's platform of commodious proportions maybe mounted between the units.

A further object is the provision of an endless conveyor running underthe operator's platform for transferring sheets from the first unit tothe second unit.

Still another object is the provision of an endless conveyor for thispurpose which runs over the impression cylinder of one unit and over anidler cylinder disposed in sheet transferring relation with theimpression cylinder of the other unit, whereby the transfer means maybeof any length desired but embodies a single idler for reversing thesheets.

Another object is the provision of 'a delivery means embodying anendless conveyor running directly over the impression cylinder of thesecond unit.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the,description of that embodiment of the inventiohwhich, for the purposesof the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which the single figure is a diagrammatic side elevationalview of a sheet fed rotary perfecting offset printing press embodyingthe invention.

In the drawing l0 represents a pile of sheets to be printed. Means, notshown, are provided for separating these sheets one at a time from thetop of the pile and advancing them onto a feed table II provided withtapes i2 which cause the sheets to travel down the feed table and intothe bite of a pair of feed rolls l3 of known construction which feed thesheets one at a time into the B, each of which comprises a platecylinder I4,

a transfer cylinder 15, and an impression cylinder IS. The correspondingcylinders of the two units may be substantially identical inconstruction. The plate cylinders I4 of both units are inked anddampened by inking mechanism 9 and dampening mechanism 11. Thesemechanisms may be identical in the two units, except that the directionsof rotation are opposite and the dampening mechanisms are reversed inposition. The three cylinders of each unit may be similarly disposedrelative to each other. In each case they axes of the cylindersintersect a triangle, one side of which, herein termed the base, isgreater than the other sides. In the drawing the base of the A triangleis numbered l8 and'that of the B triangle 19. Base 18 extends in agenerally vertical direction, while base I9 is approximately horizontal.

The two units A and B are spaced apart far enough to accommodate betweenthem an operators platform 20 of dimensions such that the operator mayhave adequate room for working upon unit A. V

The transfer of sheets from unit 'A to unit B is accomplished by anendless conveyor, and since this conveyor may be designed to occupyrelatively little vertical space beneath the platform, the height of themachine in general may be kept at a minimum. This conveyor comprises apair of chains, indicated by the broken line 2!, connected at the properintervals by transverse bars 22. Each of these bars supports a series oftransversely spaced sheet gripping fingers 23. In the illustrated casethe chains 2| run over sprockets (not shown) at the ends of impressioncylinder l6 of unit A, and over similar sprockets at the ends of anidler cylinder 24. Both of these cylinders I6 and 24 are provided withgaps which receive the transverse bars 22 one after another and withmechanism of known construction for holding the bars accuratelypositioned in the cylinders for so long as they are in contacttherewith.

The perfected sheets are carried to a delivery pile 30 by means of anendless conveyor comprising a pair of chains indicated diagrammaticallyby the broken line 3|. These chains run upon sprockets (not shown)carried at the ends of cylinder iii of unit B and fixed with respectthereto. These chains also run over sprockets at the ends of a furthercylinder, not illustrated, and over idlers required to make the chainstake the course indicated in the drawing. The delivery conveyor asherein illustrated extends over the top of the inker 9 of unit B so asto leave that inker relatively free for inspection, servicing and 3repair. This conveyor, like the transfer conveyor between units,comprises in addition to the chains 3| transverse bars 22 and gripperfingers 23. Cylinder l6 of unit B is provided with a gap for the.reception one after another of the bars 22 and their gripper fingers 23carried by chains 3|. As a gripper bar and fingers of the transferconveyor pass a corresponding gripper bar and fingers of the deliveryconveyor, a sheet is transferred to the delivery conveyor, and iscarried clockwise around cylinder [6 of unit B between that cylinder andthe blanket cylinder l5 for printing the reverse side of the sheet, thatis considering the imprint by the unit A to be upon the front of thesheet.- The sheet then continues to travel with the endless deliveryconveyor over the top of the inker 9 and to the pile 39, where it isreleased and drops onto the pile.

It will be observed that the transfer conveyor embodying chains 2| runsover the impression cylinder of one printing unit and over an idlercylinder in sheet transferring relation with the impression cylinder ofthe other unit. The reversing of the sheet will be accomplished whetherthe idler cylinder, such as 24, be at the front or rear end of theconveyor. However, the illustrated arrangement is considerably to bepreferred, because it leaves impression cylinder IE of unit B free totake the delivery conveyor embodying chains 3!. This arrangementembodies a minimum number of cylinders, namely one in addition to thethree cylinders at each unit necessary for the printing operation. The,optimum in simplicity is thereby attained.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a sheet fed rotary perfecting printing press, two printing unitseach comprising a printing cylinder and an impression cylinder, anoperators platform between said units, and an endless conveyor fortransmitting sheets from the first unit beneath the platform to thesecond unit, an idler cylinder in sheet transferring relation with theimpression cylinder of one of said units, said conveyor running over thesaid idler cylinder and over the impression cylinder of the other unit.

2. In a sheet fed rotary perfecting offset printing press, two printingunits each comprising an impression cylinder, an offset cylinder 3. In asheet fed rotary perfecting offset printing press, two printing unitseach comprising an impression cylinder, an offset cylinder and a platecylinder, an idler cylinder in sheet transferring relation with theimpression cylinder of the second unit, an endless conveyor fortransferring sheets from the first unit to the second unit, saidconveyor running over the impression cylinder of the first unit and oversaid idler cylinder, and an endless delivery conveyor running over theimpression cylinder of the second unit.

4. A sheet fed rotary perfecting offset printing press, comprising twoseparate printing units each having an impression cylinder, an ofisetcylinder, and a plate cylinder, the axes of the cylinders of each saidunit intersecting the points of a triangle, the base of which is longerthan the sides thereof and joins the impression and plate cylinders, theoffset cylinder of each unit being disposed on that side of itsimpression cylinder which is remote from the feeding end of the press,the base of the triangle of the first unit being substantially verticaland the second triangle being inverted with its base above the transfercylinder of that unit, means for feeding sheets into the pressthroughthe base of the first unit triangle toward the offset cylinder of thatunit, an endless sheet conveyor for transferring sheets from the firstunit to the second unit, an idler cylinder in sheet transferringrelation with the impression cylinder of the second unit, said conveyorrunning over the impression cylinder of the first unit and over saididler cylinder, the cylinders of the second unit being driven in adirection to feed sheets through the base of the second triangle in adirection away from the transfer cylinder of that unit, and an endlessdelivery conveyor running over the impression cylinder of the secondunit extending upwardly from that cylinder.

HOWARD A. PRITCHARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following. references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,310,506 Scott July 22, 19191,849,219 Belluche Mar. 15, 1932 2,100,852 Jacobson Nov. 30, 19372,138,407 Huck Nov. 29, 1938 2,174,865 Barber Oct. 3, 1939 2,245,343Hunting June 10, 1941 2,360,340 Harris Oct. 17, 1944 2,374,668 DavidsonMay 1, 1945

